Christmas is not a time of rest for the Central Coast Mariners as they travel to Sydney to face APIA Leichhardt in the Quarter Finals of the FFA Cup on Tuesday night.
Nick Montgomery has enjoyed success so far in the cup, and in the previous round there was a dogged and determined come from behind victory against Wollongong Wolves when Mark Birighitti was shown a contentious red card and the ten men of the Mariners fought back valiantly to win 2-1.
Since that match, the Mariners have enjoyed back-to-back wins against Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s and will be looking to carry that momentum into this pre-Christmas clash at Leichhardt Oval where the hosts recently dispatched Carl Robinson’s Wanderers in a keenly contested match.
APIA Leichhardt have made history in the cup by becoming the first team to defeat two A-League opponents, with their first cup-set coming back in 2018 against Melbourne Victory. The added advantage for the Mariners is that the NSW NPL season is no longer running and the last competitive fixture for APIA came against the Wanderers when the 4,000 strong crowd saw one of the best goals of the season from Tynan Diaz in their 2-1 win.
On Saturday, Mariners captain Ollie Bozanic took to the field for his 100th A-League match and currently is the leader in the FFA Cup for possessions won (24) and will be hoping to lead the Mariners onto yet another semi-final in this fixture against APIA.
APIA Leichhardt play their football in the NSW NPL and throughout the 2021 season, averaged the most crosses into the box per game (24) and will looking to attempt the same method in Tuesday’s fixture at Leichhardt Oval.
It is sure to be a cracking evening of football as the first semi final place in the 2021 edition of the cup is up for grabs.
Match Details
APIA Leichhardt v Central Coast Mariners
FFA Cup Quarter Final
Leichhardt Oval, Leichhardt, NSW
7:30pm Kick Off AEDT
Tickets: Click Here
TV: 10Play – Live and Free
